The Princess and Her Hero
by GalitMirav
Summary: FTL AU, as if the curse never happened. An attack leaves 7 yr old Princess Emma and 14 yr old Pinocchio trapped under castle rubble. How will they survive it? Will they ever see their families again?


Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Once Upon a Time, Disney, or Pinocchio. I am not making money off of this story. I am an unapologetic Wooden Swan shipper.

* * *

Hours had passed. But to the two bruised and battered children trapped beneath the rubble, it felt like days. It felt even longer than that.

_It had been a normal day, like any other. Princess Emma had been at her lessons with her young governess Grace, and her friend Princess Alexandra and her parents were staying for a visit. Pinocchio happened to be in the schoolroom as well, working on a project off to the side while his father was attending a council meeting. _

_That tranquil day had suddenly ended. Years of peace had vanished in an instant. The Evil Queen, not content with banishment, gathered her forces and attacked without warning. There were losses, mostly on her side, and she was driven back. But at the last second, she sent a spell in the direction of the tower where the four of them were._

_As he watched the spell head in their direction, something inside Pinocchio told him they needed to move. "Run!" he exclaimed as the spell engulfed the tower. Even as they raced through the corridors they could hear the tower collapse around them. He hoped they'd make it out in time._

_It all happened so quickly. Pinocchio saw Alexandra and Grace were out of its path just before the wall caved in and separated them from him and Emma. The two of them were trapped._

Princess Emma had cried straight through the first hour they'd been buried. Pinocchio hugged her tightly. They'd been in complete darkness the whole time, and Pinocchio never relaxed his hold on her at all. "Pinocchio?" she kept whispering , as though she needed continuing reassurance that he was still there.

"I'm right here, Princess," the older boy responded.

"I'm scared."

"I know. I'm scared too" he admitted. "But we'll be okay."

"I want my Mommy!" she wailed, fresh sobs overtaking her.

Pinocchio rubbed her back reassuringly. "She's looking for us. They all are. They'll find us." He was comforting himself as much as the princess. "We've gotten through it so far. It can't be long now." _I hope. _"Think about how happy they'll be to see us."

More time went by. "I'm worried about Grace and Alexandra," Emma whimpered.

"They're fine. I'm sure they are. I saw the rubble didn't get them."

More time passed. "Pinocchio?"

"Yes, Princess?"

"Can you tell me a story?"

"Sure. Which one do you want to hear?"

"I don't know…can you tell me again about how you're father made you and you became a real boy?"

He smiled, stroking her hair. "That I can. About 7 or so years ago, a woodcarver named Geppetto carved a puppet from an enchanted tree. Now at the time, he didn't know the tree was magical…"

"…Geppetto placed his red cap on his son's head, and together they walked home."

If it wasn't completely dark, the former puppet would have been able to see that he'd been able to put a smile on Princess Emma's face. "You really love your father, don't you?"

"Yeah, he's everything." Pinocchio tried to hide his worry. He was scared, and not just for him and the princess. After nearly losing his son twice when he was younger…what his father must be going through now. What both he and Emma's parents must be going through.

They sat in silence for some more time. Emma wasn't crying anymore, but continued to hug the older boy. And Pinocchio did his best to keep her calm.

A sound of rumbling broke the silence. "Did they find us? Are we saved?" Emma asked.

"I think…" Pinocchio's voice trailed off. He wasn't sure. Was that rescuers digging them out? His hope began to grow until the rumbling noise grew louder. _No…that's not rescue_. "Emma!" He threw himself on top of her as the tower's rubble collapsed on them again. The last things he felt were searing pain and the princess's screams.

* * *

Pinocchio's eyes fluttered open and immediately closed as the blinding light hurt his eyes. Every inch of his body felt like it was on fire. He groaned.

A gentle hand rested on his forehead and stroked his hair. "My boy," came a voice barely louder than a whisper and thick with emotion. "My boy."

_Father._

Pinocchio opened his eyes again. His father was there, eyes bloodshot, looking at him with such love and concern only a parent who almost lost their child could have. "I'm so happy you're awake."

"My head hurts," he moaned. "And so does everything else."

Geppetto nodded sadly. "You have a concussion, and a lot of broken bones. You have a long recovery ahead of you, Pinocchio. But you're going to be alright, my son."

"Where am I?"

"The castle infirmary. We brought you here as soon as we freed you and the Princess."

_Emma_! _It all came flooding back to him. He'd been trapped under the rubble with Emma...it collapsed on them again...he dove to shield her..._ "Emma!" he bolted up and immediately cried out in pain.

Geppetto caught his son and cradled him, easing him back onto the bed. "Shhhh...take it easy, Pinocchio. You're still badly injured."

Pinocchio wiped his eyes, struggling to catch his breath. "How is she?"

"Other than some cuts and bruises, she's perfectly fine. She's very worried about you though."

"How long was I out?"

"About two days," Geppetto sighed. "Two very long days."

"That long?" Pinocchio's eyes went wide. "Oh what you must have gone through."

Geppetto let out a sound that was part laugh and part sob. His son almost died and now he was recovering but still in pain and in spite of all that he was worried about his father. "Me? You're the one who was trapped under a tower and got injured saving the Princess." Anything would have done it, but he was in tears again, trying to keep a smile on his face as he gazed lovingly at his son and stroked his hair.

"I'm alright, father," Pinocchio whispered, too exhausted to talk louder. The last thing he wanted was to make his father upset. "I'm sorry I scared you."

Geppetto shook his head and squeezed his son's hand. "Don't apologize. Just concentrate on getting better." He kissed his son's head. "My boy...my brave, brave boy. I love you so much."

"I love you too, father."

Minutes passed. Geppetto made sure he was within arm's reach of his son as the castle physicians examined him and deemed him fit for visitors. Word quickly reached the royal family.

* * *

"Pinocchio!" Princess Emma exclaimed, having just entered the infirmary with her parents. She was happy to see he was awake at last and Snow and Charming looked relieved as well.

"Hi Princess," he softly responded, managing a grin.

She rushed over to his bedside. Her face immediately registered concern when she saw just how injured he still was. "Are you still hurting?"

"I'm getting better," he replied, wanting to spare her. _That's the truth at least. He _was _getting better._ "I'm happy you're okay."

"Yeah, I am. Thanks to you." She managed to smile at him.

Snow came over and lightly kissed Pinocchio on the temple. "Thank you," she whispered, about to be overcome with emotion herself.

Charming was on the other side of him and placed his hand on his shoulder, eyes radiating with gratitude at the boy who saved his daughter. "There's knighthood waiting for you in the future, if you're interested."

"I'll keep that in mind." Pinocchio quipped.

Emma continued grinning at him. After a second she stepped forward and planted a long kiss on his cheek. He was too surprised to say anything and so was everyone else.

Princess Emma stepped back with a smile still on her face, clearly expecting something to happen. Her smile faded when nothing did and she turned to her parents confused. "I thought you said true love's kiss would make everything better, but it's not. He's still sick."

The adults all looked at each other and after a moment burst out laughing. Pinocchio laughed himself which he quickly realized was a mistake as he soon discovered the hard way that he had broken ribs. But he didn't feel any less amused or appreciative. The poor princess stood there bewildered.

"Oh Emma," Snow replied, hugging her daughter. She sighed. "I'll explain later. But right now, we should let Pinocchio rest. He needs his sleep. You can visit him tomorrow."

"Okay." Emma was clearly disappointed.

Geppetto smiled at the girl. "Thank you for trying to heal my son." Emma gave him a sad smile in return.

After exchanging farewells, the royal family headed toward the door. "Bye Emma."

"Bye Pinocchio!" she waved at him.

After they left, Geppetto turned back to to his son and scooted closer to him, a smile beaming on his face. The little girl had certainly relieved the tension. "I think Princess Emma has a crush on you."

Pinocchio chuckled. "No kidding."


End file.
